Coal-chute.



PATENTED MAR. 3, 1903. i

4 R. K. TELLER.

GOAL GHUTE. APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 11, 1902.

\ no 1101mm TNE- NORRIS PEIERS (20.. FHOY0-UYNO.. WASHING'IYON, b. C.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

RUFUS K. TELLER, OF U NADILLA, NEW YORK.

COAL-GHUTE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 721,977, dated March 3, 1903.

Application filed September 11,1902. Serial No. 122,947. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, RUFUS K. TELLER, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Unadilla, in the county of Otsego and State of New York, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Coal-Chutes, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, reference being made to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification.

This invention relates to improvements in portable coal-chutes which are intended to convey coal from a wagon to a place below the wagon body-as, for example, into a basement-window or a coal-hole in the sidewalk; and the invention consists of a chute constructed as hereinafter described and claimed.

On the accompanying sheet of drawings, Figure 1 is a side view of the chute or a section of the chute; Fig. 2, a top view thereof; Fig. 3, an end view on a larger scale than that of the other figures; Fig. 4, a side view of the chute composed of two sections, and Fig. 5 a top view of the coupling with which the sections are secured together.

Similar reference-numerals designate like parts in difierent views.

The invention is especially applicable to chutes which are designed to be used in connection with wagons and carts from which coal is commonly shoveled, the chutes comprising means to facilitate their adjustment and to enable them to be readily secured in suitable positions. Should a chute consist of a single section, as obviously it might if only a short chute were required, then but a part of the invention would be useful, for a chute embodying the whole of the invention comprises the coupling with which two sections are shown secured together. Yet it is regarded advisable to construct each section as it is shown whether it is to be used alone or in connection with another or others, so as to enable a chute to be readily formed by coup ling together any two sections and to render the sections interchangeable.

The body of each section is a strip of sheetmetal bent to form the bottom 1 and sides 2 of a chute, the sides being bent at the top around rods 3, which extend from end to end of the section and one end of the section being wider than the other. On the broad end of the body is a band of iron or steel which both reinforces the body and performs other functions, as will be hereinafter explained. This band comprises the straight and bent portions 4 and 5, extending across the body under the bottom 1, and the outer side portion 6, bend 7, inner side portion 8, and inturned portion 9 at each side of the body,

the outer and inner side portions 6 and 8 being outside and inside, respectively, of the sides 2 of the body and the internal portions 9 being in contact with the bottom 1. Athin strip 10 of stiff materialsuch, for example, as woodis inserted between the bottom 1 and the band, and all are riveted together with rivets 11 and 12, the rivets 12 extending through both the portions 4 and 9 of the band. The portions 6 and 8 of the band at each side of the section are secured together about midway between the bends 7 and bottom 1 by rivets 13, extending through those portions of the band and the sides 2 of the section. This band imparts much greater strength to the body than does a common band like that at the narrow end of the section, the latter band 14 being straight underneath the bottom 1 and extending from the bottom 1 to the tops of the sides 2 only on the exterior faces of the sides. The sides 2 and bends at the bottom of the section are rendered very stifi by the parallel portions of the band riveted together, as described, and the bottom is so reinforced by the bent portion 5 of the band that it is not apt to bend there, where the bottoms of common chutes are especially liable to bend. Furthermore,

.the'bent portion 5 constitutes a stop to aid in securing the chute to the box of a wagon or other vehicle, as will be more fully explained.

To the wide end of the section is attached a holding device, with-the aid of which two sections are readily secured together to form a chute longer than a single section. This device is preferably a chain 15, whose ends extend into the spaces between the portions 6 ands of the band and are engaged with the rivets 13. The length of the chain is such that when the chain hangs on the rivets, the bottom of the section being downward, the central and longer portion of the chain is below the bottom of the section, as appears by Fig. 3, and that when the chain is raised to the position in which it is shown in Figs. 4 and 5 it will extend over another section inserted in that to which the chain is attached, bearing on the top of the inner section and holding the bottom of the outer section close to that of theinner section. If the narrow end of the outer section is held in a coal-hole, for example, and the broad end of the inner section is secured to a side 16 of a wagon-box, the sections will remain coupled together, the inner section bearing against the bottom of the other and against the chain and a chute longer than a single section will have been produced. A chute thus formed is capable of being adjusted in a moment either to a length a little exceeding that of a single section or any length greater than that and but little less than twice the length of a single section, and obviously three or more sections may be coupled together to form a chute that would be adjustable to a still greater extent and that might be made practically a curved as well as a straight chute.

The end of the chute next to the wagon rests on the side 16 of the wagon-box, the bent portion 5 of the band being within the box and in contact with the inner edge of the side 16, so that it forms a stop to prevent the chute from sliding off the box.

For the chain shown there might be substituted a bent rod pivotally attached to the body by the rivets 13, the rod being so bent near its ends as to cause the portion of the rod between the bends to rest below the bottom of the section, as does the central portion of the chain when the broad end of the section is secured to a wagon-box, as shown, and to rest on and extend across another section when the rod is raised and the other section is pushed under the rod and into the section to which the rod is attached. A chain is preferred because it is lighter and cheaper than a suitable rod would be, or a pair 'of hooks, such as might be formed from the rod described by cutting from it a section between the bends, could be substituted for the chain. It is to be understood that a chute embodying the invention mightinclude either of these modifications in the form of the coupling.

It will be observed that the coupling does not interfere with the use of the sect-ions, either separately or together, the holding device at that end of the chute which is secured to the wagon being mainly below the bottom of the chute, where it is out of the way when coal is shoveled into the chute, and any other holding device, if the chute is composed of more than one section, being so held that the coal will slide under it. As three or even a largernumberot'sections can be snugly nested together, so they will occupy but little more room than a single section, it is always convenient to carry with a load such a number of sections as will enable a chute of any length likely to be required to be readily provided.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. A chute provided with a reinforcingband extending under and across the bottom of the chute and thence to the top of each side, and from the top to the bottom of each side within the chute, said band including inturned portions 9 on the interior of the bottom of the chute, substantially as described.

. 2. A chute provided with a reinforcingband extending under and across the bottom of the chute and thence to the top of each side, and from the top to the bottom of each side within the chute, said band including a bent portion extending outward from the bottom of the chute, substantially as described.

3. A chute provided with a reinforcingband extending under and across the bottom of the chute and thence to the top of each side, and from the top to the bottom of each side within the chute, said band including a bent portion 5 on the exterior and inturned portions 9 on the interior of the bottom of the chute, substantially as described.

4. A chute, or section of a chute, provided with a reinforcing-band including portions 6 bends 7 and portions 8, each portion 6 being on the exterior and each portion 8 on the interior of one of the sides of the body; rivets 13 extending through the portions 6 and 8 and sides of the body; and a holding device attached to these rivets to engage with another chute section; substantially as described.

5. A section of a chute provided with a holding device at one end thereof to engage with another or upper chute-section extending under the holding device into the lower section, said holding device being pivotally attached to the sides of the lower section, and extending thence over the edges of the upper section only, beyond the upper end of the lower section, when the sections are secured together, substantially as described.

6. A section of a chute provided with a chain at one end thereof to engage with another or upper chute-section extending under the chain into the lower section, the chain being pivotally attached by its ends to the sides of the lower section, and being suitably arranged and of the proper length to render the chain taut on the edges of the upper section only, beyond the upper end of the lower section, when the sections are secured together, substantially as described.

7. A chute provided with a reinforcingband extending under and across the bottom of the chute and thence to the top of each side, and from the top to the bottom of each slack when it hangs on the rivets; substanside within the chute; rivets 13 extending tially as described.

through the outer and inner lateral portions 1 of the band and through the sides of the RUFUS rlELLER' chute; and a chain attached at each end to a In presence of one of these rivets between the outer and in- FRANCES ORCUTT HIET,

ner portions of the band, the chain being FRED J. JOYCE. 

